I want to thank all of the members of the Hopkinton Elementary School Building Committee 2 for the excellent presentation to the Special Town Meeting on Nov. 13. Although I went to the meeting already committed to voting for the new school, I was very impressed with the information given to the voters.

That being said, I know that the vote on Nov. 28 to allocate funds for the school may be more difficult. People will be voting with their wallets, and especially older voters living on fixed incomes may be opposed. I believe that the most powerful piece of information for the public to be informed about is a slide that was presented comparing the cost to the town for the new school (approximately $91.5 million) versus the cost of upgrading and attempting to maintain the current school (approximately $110 million). In effect, it would cost more to maintain a failing school, and the town would not be able to provide effective services for our student body. This could be a powerful motivator for voters, knowing that voting down the school would not save on taxes, but would actually cost more!

I truly look forward to seeing the new Elmwood School come to fruition. It’s been quite a ride since my daughter went through the Hopkinton schools, but I am proud to have supported the amazing changes in Hopkinton’s academic reputation!

— Susan Porter, Hopkinton

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